Taiwan-Singapore table tennis pair knocked out of WTT China Smash

Taipei, Oct. 2 (CNA) Taiwan's female paddler Chen Szu-yu (陳思羽) and Singaporean partner Koen Pang (馮耀恩) were knocked out of the World Table Tennis (WTT) China Smash on Wednesday after losing their mixed doubles quarterfinals match against a Chinese duo in Beijing.

The 31-year-old Chen and her 22-year-old partner lost to world No. 13 Lin Gaoyuan (林高遠) and Wang Yidi (王藝迪) in straight games, 5-11, 5-11, 3-11, in a match that lasted only 17 minutes.

The pair, which teamed up for the first time for the China Smash, had a good run in the tournament prior to their Wednesday exit, including stunning third-seeded Spanish duo Alvaro Robles and Maria Xiao 3-1 to advance to the quarterfinals.

In other action featuring Taiwanese players Wednesday, Liao Cheng-ting (廖振珽) lost to Jonathan Groth of Denmark 3-1 in the second round of the men's singles, and Huang Yi-hua (黃怡樺) fell to Qin Yuxuan (覃予萱) of China in straight games in the second round of the women's singles.

The WTT China Smash is being staged from Sept. 26 to Oct. 6 at Shougang Park in Beijing, marking a top-tier international table tennis event's return to the Chinese capital city for the first time in 63 years.

The tournament has a total purse of up to US$2 million, and the winners in their respective divisions get 2,000 ranking points.

A good result at the China Smash could play a pivotal role for players in their attempts to qualify for the season-ending WTT Cup Finals, according to event organizers.